The Judges

Chair person- Keith O'Sullivan

Keith O'Sullivan is Lecturer in English at the Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin. Before joining the staff at CICE, he taught English at St. Joseph's School for Deaf Boys (Cabra) and at St. Patrick's College, Dublin City University. During this time he was a Professional Placement Supervisor to trainee teachers of English on the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme at University College Dublin. He is currently reading for the degree of PhD at St. Patrick's College, Dublin City University. His research examines Romanticism in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. He also lectures on the College's Master of Arts in Children's Literature degree programme. He is a member of the International Research Society for Children's Literature, a member of the Executive Committee of the Irish Society for the Study of Children's Literature, and a member of the Board of Children's Books Ireland.

Judges

Mark O'Sullivan

Mark O'Sullivan is a novelist and short story writer. His work has been translated into six languages and has won awards in Ireland and in France. His novel Silent Stones (Wolfhound Press 1999) was a Merit Award winner in the Bisto Book of the Year Awards 1999-2000 and Melody for Nora (Wolfhound Press 1994) won the Eilis Dillon Award that year. His novels Angles without Wings and Silent Stones both won Reading Association of Ireland awards. His most recent novel is Enright (Blackstaff Press 2005) Mark is married with two daughters and considers himself to be blessed to live 'amongst women'.

Anne Marie Herron

Anne Marie Herron is a former primary school principal who throughout her teaching career has had a great interest in children's literature. For many years she presented a books programme on local radio, in the course of which she interviewed many well-known writers and reviewed their work. She has also reviewed books for Inis, the Children's Books Ireland magazine and has published two books for younger readers in the Panda series with the O'Brien Press. She recently graduated from St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, with a Masters in Children's Literature. Eileen Phelan Eileen Phelan teaches at a primary school in Dublin. She has been interested in children's literature for many years and has had a along association with CBI and its former organisation CLAI, serving on its committees and boards. She has worked for educational publishers Fallons and Carroll Heineman as an editor and content consultant and is a graduate of the M.A. in Children's Literature at St. Patrick's College, DCU. She has tutored in the module on children's literature in the English Department at UCD.

Siúan Póirtéir
 

Siúan is currently a transition year student at Coláiste Íosgáin in Dublin. She is a voracious reader with interests spanning many different genres. She is a fluent Irish speaker and also a traditional flute player. Siuan loves language and travel and hopes to go to France to learn French for a few months when the judging process is complete. For TY work experience Siúan chose to work in The Irish Refugee Council, the Four Courts and RTÉ and also was set designer on their recent school theatre production of Romeo and Juliet. Siuan writes book reviews for Inis, the Children's Books Ireland magazine, and will write about her experience of being a Bisto judge for the next issue.

Catherine Ann Cullen

Catherine is a poet, children's writer, radio producer and script writer for animation. Her titles for children include; Thirsty Baby (2003) and The Magical Mystical Marvelous Coat (2001), both published by Little Brown in the U.S. Her stories for children have featured in RTÉ's Radio Fiction's series and in Stories for Jamie (Blackwater Press). Catherine's first poetry collection, A Bone in My Throat, was published in 2007 by Doghouse. She writes regularly for RTE Radio's Sunday Miscelllany and A Living Word.

Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

Éilís writes fiction in English and Irish, and also publishes under the name Elizabeth O'Hara. Her books for children include: Penny Farthing Sally (1996), Blaeberry Sunday which won the CBI Bisto Book of the Year 1994, and The Hiring Fair won a CBI Bisto Merit Award in 1993, all from Poolbeg. Short story collections include The Pale Gold of Alaska (Blackstaff, 2000) and Midwife to the Fairies (Attic Press 2001). Éilis's novels include The Dancer's Dancing (Blackstaff, 1999) and The Bray House (Attic Press, 1990). Her novel Hurlamaboc received a CBI Bisto Honour Award in 2007. Fox Swallow Scarecrow is her latest novel for adults and is published by Blackstaff Press 2007.